


Under Lilac Skies

by ExtraSteps



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Anxiety, First Kiss, Human AU, Hurt/Comfort, IED, M/M, Mentioned Car Accident, Mentioned Death of Loved Ones, Skating Injuries, Underage Drinking, skater au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28384770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtraSteps/pseuds/ExtraSteps
Summary: Liam feels empty and alone after he’s expelled from Devenford and moves in with his mother and stepfather and starting at a new school. The only silver lining is the guy he shares a few classes with, Theo, who fascinates him. A chance encounter at a party leads to something that could be more then Liam had ever dreamed possible.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 14
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [snaeken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snaeken/gifts).



> For Callum, my favourite guy, for the OTL gift exchange 2020. Love you lots.

Liam looked up at the unfinished house in front of him, the same as every other one in the street, his skateboard locked against the lip of the pool as he contemplated the similarities between himself and the looming skeleton of a home. Heat crept up from the exposed concrete of suburbia, making sweat gather on the back of his neck as he thought about Theo and the way he made life look easy.

Unlike Liam, Theo Raeken seemed to skate smoothly through life, navigating the social hierarchy and charming his fellow students with ease, not to mention all of their teachers, who he had wrapped around his little finger. He passed his classes with an ease that Liam, who sat at his desk night after night cursing the sick bastard who designed calculus, could never hope to emulate, no matter how many study sessions Mason forced him into.

To make matters worse, Liam didn’t get along with most of his peers. He had a fierce temper, only exacerbated by his IED. It was what had led to his abrupt departure from his old school, dumped from his lacrosse scholarship after an incident with a crowbar and his coach’s car after an ugly game.

A new school hadn’t helped anything. It had only made him feel even more alienated, more angry, more  _ empty _ .

The only single thing that made the torture the American government called an education even remotely bearable was sitting two seats behind and one to the right of Theo. He was pretty in that unattainable way that made something in Liam’s chest ache terribly as he watched him in their classes, careful to keep his gaze focused vacantly on the whiteboard in front of them whenever Theo glanced back, sensing eyes on him.

He should hate him. He was everything that Liam wasn’t; cool, intelligent, funny, charming. But instead, he’d fallen under his spell, same as every other sucker in the school. 

He  _ burned _ for him.

It was miserably hot, even in the dead of night. Tossing and turning in his empty bed was pointless. Even if it had been cooler, his own thoughts would be keeping him awake.

Liam grimaced, running his hand through the sweaty strands of his hair, tucking it into place under his backwards cap. 

He pushed over the lip, leaning forward and feeling his stomach swoop at the sudden drop, the slight rustle of wind offering little relief. He forced all other thoughts from his mind, as he turned and flipped the board up and around the pool, executing each trick with a single-minded focus.

At least out here it was quiet. Not a soul to disturb him and his wandering thoughts. In the time  _ Before _ , he’d lived in a fancy house in Beacon Heights with his dad. But since his endless IED flare ups and his dad dumping him on his mother, not to mention the messy divorce (something his mother had been at his dad about for years so that she could get married to her fancy doctor boyfriend), he’d had to downgrade to a shitty ghetto suburb on the other side of town. The kind of place where you couldn’t leave your window open at night because of the near-constant wail of sirens and domestic disputes.

Suffice to say - between living in a new place, the sounds, the heat, his lurid and inappropriate fantasies about his classmate - Liam wasn’t getting much sleep.

His mother would kill him if she knew he was out here in the dead of night trying to skate himself into a state of exhaustion, but he couldn’t sit in his bedroom a single second longer. 

She meant well, but those worried looks she kept giving him just made him feel like a zoo animal, locked behind the glass because it was too dangerous to roam freely.

He couldn’t  _ breathe _ .

Liam lost his focus and the board slipped out from underneath him, skittering away as he landed with a thud and a groan, pain flaring along his side. For a few moments, he stared up at the dark sky, struggling for breath, letting himself feel it - all of the pain, all of the frustration - and then he slowly, gingerly, pushed himself up, examining the damage.

Another tear in his jeans. The graze underneath was superficial - though it stung like a bitch. He’d wash it out and it would be scabbed over by morning.

His arm, on the other hand, looked a bit nastier. It would probably need a good clean out and some iodine and a dressing over the top of it.

Liam sighed. Looked like he’d be raiding the first aid supply again. His new step-dad kept it well-stocked, so it was pretty comprehensive, but he didn’t look forward to explaining the missing supplies.

Great, just great.

***

“You’re late,” Mason said, giving him an unimpressed once-over as Liam fell into the chair opposite him, placing his bag on the seat beside him. Around them, the library bustled with the usual crowd of students, all tapping pencils and rustling pages and a low hum of conversation. 

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Liam said with an irate sigh, rifling through his bag and pulling out his Algebra 2 book, the thud of him dropping it onto the table drawing a myriad of glares and shushes.

Mason just stared at him, his brow furrowed. His gaze was piercing, making Liam want to squirm uncomfortably. Mason had always been able to see right through him, even as kids.

“You know I don’t actually have to help you, right?” he pointed out. Liam shrank back slightly. He sounded more than just a bit annoyed. He sounded hurt.

“I know,” he said, leaning forward, his expression earnest. “I’m sorry, I really am Mason. I appreciate your help. I literally don’t know what I would do without you.”

He studied Mason’s face, watching the way his eyes tightened slightly before finally, a few heart-stopping moments of dread later, the corners of his lips turned up. “Fail algebra, probably.”

“You mean definitely,” Liam said with a smirk, the flood of relief in his chest palpable. Everything was so shit right now. He couldn’t stand to push away the last good thing he had going for him in his life. He and Mason had been best friends since grade school, and not even going to different high schools - at least up until the last few months - had been able to change that. Being with Mason made him feel lighter. He was sarcastic and intelligent and funny, and through everything that Liam had been going through, he’d been an absolute rock for him. Always there to crack a joke when he needed it, or distract him, or even just sit quietly with him while he paced around like a caged tiger, ants buzzing under his skin, anger settling around his shoulders like a suffocating cloak. 

He made a mental note to stop taking Mason for granted. His best friend deserved better than the way he’d been treating him lately.

“So what happened?” Mason asked, watching as Liam immediately dropped his gaze, flicking idly through his textbook.

“I snuck out last night,” he admitted with a grimace.

“Liam,” Mason sighed, pinching at the bridge of his nose.

“I  _ know _ ,” Liam interjected. “I know okay. I already got into it with my parents, believe me. It was just - I don’t know. Too hot. Too enclosed. I felt like I was going to scream or something. I just had to get out.”

Mason gave a pointed look down to where his arm was now covered with a dressing. “I assume you went skateboarding, then?”

“Yeah,” Liam grumbled, looking down at it as well. After his stern telling off, his step-dad had checked it over and re-bandaged it, so it looked way better than his bodge-job from the night before. It still made his chest ache a little, remembering the tender look on his step-dad’s face as he’d gently dabbed at the nasty scrape, getting the bits of dirt and grit out that Liam had missed. It had stung, but it had been nice, being looked after like that. Even the telling off hadn’t been that bad, really. They’d both been too relieved that he was okay to really be angry, but it still made him feel like the world’s biggest asshole to think of how upset his mother had been.

He was a shitty son. They both deserved better than him; a fuck up with a stubborn streak a mile wide and a documented tendency to lash out.

Liam sighed, rubbing his knuckles over his jaw, trying to ease some of the ever-present tension.

He didn’t say anything further, and for once, Mason seemed willing to drop it.

“So, where did you get up to last night?” he asked, opening up his own textbook. 

Liam offered him a tight smile and flicked to the correct page. “Seven B,” he told him. “I got stuck, and it was too late to call you.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “No such thing,” he scolded him. “Alright, show me your working out.”

Twenty minutes later, his homework was complete and they were both stuffing their books into their bags, joining the rest of the bustling crowd in the hallways. Mason chattered, something about a party that weekend by the lake, and Liam nodded along, eyes scanning the crowd.

“Yo Dunbar,” a voice called out from behind them. “Wait up!” Both of them paused, Liam turning back to find a smarmy blonde guy waving at him as he strode towards them. He fought to keep the scowl from his face as the boy approached, weaving deftly through the crowded hallway.

“Garrett,” Mason nodded with a friendly smile. “How’s it going, man?”

“Great, dude,” Garrett said, returning Mason’s smile with a wink. Not for the first time, Liam envied Mason’s ability to get along with pretty much anyone. Not because he cared one little bit what Garrett Davies thought of him, but because over his shoulder he’d just spotted Theo walking towards them, talking to a dark-haired girl beside him.

He wrenched his attention away from Theo as Garrett addressed him. “You’re coming to Zach’s party, right?” he pressed.

Liam glanced at Mason, who nodded eagerly. It must be the same party he’d just been talking about.

“We’re thinking about it,” he said with a shrug. “Why?”

“All the lacrosse guys will be there,” Garrett told him with a pointed look. “It’ll be a good chance for you to get to know everyone, don’t you think?”

He shot him a sceptical look. Yeah right, like the Beacon lacrosse guys wanted to get to know him. They probably hated him more than the Devenford guys did, and that's saying something. He’d flattened most of them more than once in his time spent on the opposition, Garrett included, and there was no love lost between them. 

They’d welcome him onto the team alright, with the kind of hazing that would make what his buddies did to him at Devenford look like child’s play.

Still, he could see Mason giving him puppy-dog eyes from the corner of his eyes, and Theo was almost up to them. Would he be going? Did the lacrosse team and football team even interact that much? He had no idea.

“Sure,” he said, glancing up and meeting Theo’s eyes for a fraction of a second before looking back at Garrett. “I’ll come to the party. By the lake, right?”

Theo’s shoulder brushed his as he passed, and Liam turned after him, watching as Theo glanced back, offering an apology over his shoulder as he continued walking. It was only a moment of contact, but it felt huge, momentous, earth-shaking. But when he turned back, Mason and Garrett were smiling mildly at each other, neither of them seemingly noticing the exchange.

“Yep,” Garrett said, looking pleased. “See you Saturday, dude.”

He’d have to do some extra chores and sucking up, but hopefully by then his parents would be less angry with him and he’d actually be allowed to go.


	2. Chapter 2

“Your parents are so nice it’s a little bit disgusting,” Mason told him from where he was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking amused.

“I know,” Liam agreed, pulling a shirt out of his wardrobe and holding it up for his friend’s appraisal. It got a nod, so he pulled it on, critically examining himself in his mirror. He liked the way maroon looked on him, and it was close enough to the school’s colours that hopefully none of the lacrosse assholes beat him up just for existing in the same place as them. He wasn’t interested in starting any fights, or finishing them for that matter. For one thing, what little goodwill he’d generated with his parents over the last week would be evaporated. And for another, there was only one of him and a whole team of them, and he couldn’t see Mason wading in to help. He was a lover, not a fighter.

The other boy was wearing a smart short, a faded sort of pink that stood out starkly against his skin. He looked good. 

“Nice shirt, by the way,” he said. “Is it new?”

“This old thing?” Mason asked with a nervous chuckle that didn’t fool Liam for a single second. “Nah, been sitting in my closet for ages.”

“Sure,” Liam smirked, meeting his friend’s eyes in the mirror as he messed around with his hair. “That kid from Chemistry is on the lacrosse team, isn’t he? Bryant?”

“Oh, is he?” Mason said, feigning disinterest. “Huh, well there you go.”

Liam bit at his lip to smother his laughter, ducking his face. He sniggered into his collar, and Mason grabbed a pillow from the bed, ditching it at him.

Well, that was it then. Liam grabbed it from the air, and pelted it back, and the two of them fought from opposite sides of the bed, landing blow after blow and laughing like idiots. 

The noise attracted his step-dad, who popped his head in, shaking his head with a bemused smile. “All good in here, boys?”

Mason stopped and turned to look. Liam smirked.

“All good, thanks Doctor Gey-oof!” He staggered back slightly as Liam smacked him square in the centre of his chest, taking full advantage of his distraction. Liam chortled as Mason fell onto his bed in a dramatic twirl, groaning and clutching his chest. “I’ve been shot,” he yelled.

David chuckled and Liam pelted Mason again, relinquishing his hold on the pillow as Mason wrapped his arms around it and wrenched it away. He pouted up at Liam, who just smirked down at him, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Score one, Dunbar,” he gloated.

“Yeah, one to seventy,” Mason shot back, pushing himself up onto his elbows. “You had to get one eventually.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night,” Liam said with mock solemnity, his eyes twinkling.

“Do you need me to drive you?” David checked, still hovering in the doorway.

“It’s okay,” Liam told him. “Mason’s driving.”

“My dad let me borrow his car,” Mason grinned, jumping to his feet and fishing out the keys from his pocket, jangling them. 

“Well, drive carefully,” David told him, “and have fun boys.”

“We will,” Liam said, returning David’s warm smile and nod with his own. 

He was pretty cool, as far as stepfathers went. It still made him feel a lack, though. David was great, but he was no substitute for the real thing. His biological father had no interest in being part of his life, though, he’d made that perfectly clear. He’d lived with him when his skill in lacrosse had won him a scholarship to Devenford Prep, but the second he’d been expelled, he’d been kicked to the curb like yesterday’s trash. The implication was clear - Liam was only worth his time when it made him look good. At the first sign of trouble, he’d been nowhere to be found.

And David tried, he did. He took Liam out for pizza and milkshakes, and he watched lacrosse games for him, and he loved his mother, but he couldn’t fix the gaping hole in his chest that his dad had ripped open.

“Are you ready?” Mason asked him after David had left, closing the door behind him. “Or do you need to fiddle with your hair some more?”

Liam pushed his melancholy thoughts from his mind. He reached a hand up, smoothing it back through his hair, which had been standing on end from their impromptu pillow fight.

“Nah, I’m good,” he said, examining it in the mirror and deciding it looked the right side of artfully mussed. “Let’s head out.”

***

They’d left it late enough that the party was already buzzing by the time they got there, just as Liam had intended. He didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to himself, and most of the teenagers standing around near the bonfire or the impromptu dance floor were already most of their way towards being drunk.

He grabbed a drink for himself and Mason and they found a large log to sit on top of as they surveyed the crowd. 

“There’s a lot of people here,” he mused, eyes tracing the crowd.

“Yeah,” Mason agreed. “Looks like it’s not just the lacrosse team here.”

His heart jumped in his chest. “Oh?” he said with feigned nonchalance. “Who else is here then?”

“I can see a few guys from the football team as well,” Mason said, indicating the direction with a nod of his head. Liam followed his gaze, but through the crowd it was hard to see who was there. He thought he might see the back of Theo’s head, but it easily could have been someone else.cIt was enough to make his hands shake a little though, his heart racing fast in his chest. He took a long swig from his beer, trying to drown out his nerves. It was one thing to sit near him in class, or pass him in the hallway. But this was something else. Here, Liam actually had a chance to speak to the guy. If he was brave enough, that was.

He considered his beer for a moment, thoughtful. Maybe a bit of liquid courage would help. He tipped it back, feeling Mason’s judgemental eyes on the side of his face.

“Is that a good idea?” Mason asked.

Definitely not. “Yep,” he said. “It’s a party, remember?”

Mason, nursing his own beer against his chest and watching him shrewdly, shook his head. “Just, make good choices, yeah?”

“Yes dad,” he said sarcastically, jumping down to go searching for another drink, leaving his friend behind and weaving back into the fray.

This time as he approached the drinks, shoved haphazardly into the tray of someone’s truck filled up with ice, a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Dunbar, you made it!” Garrett said loudly in his ear, leaning into his side.

Liam turned his head slightly, wrinkling his nose up a bit at the stench of booze emanating from him. He’d clearly been hitting it pretty hard.

“I did,” he agreed, fishing out a beer and using the end of his sleeve to twist off the cap, flicking it back into the tray. “As did you, apparently.”

“Come on,” the blonde urged him, grabbing his arm. “You gotta say hey to everyone.”

Liam dug his heels in, looking back to where Mason was still sitting on the log. Next to him sat Corey Bryant, who had clearly taken advantage of Liam’s departure to slide into his spot, leaning in towards Mason as he was talking. He was completely fixated on him, listening attentively, and Liam was loath to interrupt them, even to avoid Garrett and his lacrosse buddies.

“Yeah, why not,” he said with a shrug, letting Garrett pull him in the opposite direction. This was probably a terrible idea, and he was almost definitely going to get his ass handed to him, but at least his best friend might get some tonight.

Silver linings, and all that.

Amazingly, Garrett and his buddies didn’t seem to have any beef with him, which shocked Liam. Mostly, they seemed to be trying to recruit him onto their team. He wasn’t sure if that's what he wanted. He had white line fever, and it really screwed with his IED to be running around on a field smacking heads together. Leaving Devenford, he’d wanted to put that behind him.

But he still had his dad’s voice hissing in his ear about scholarships and playing college lacrosse, so he didn’t shut them down as they nudged him with their elbows and attempted to goad him into coming to tryouts.

He didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either, which seemed to satisfy them. Garrett especially hung right by his elbow, taking him around to each of his buddies, each of them buttering him up. 

His drink never seemed to run out. Every time he tipped his head back to finish the cup, another took its place, Garrett sending a fresher to keep it filled. It was starting to make his head swim, and he broke off from the crowd as Garrett got distracted by the leaving captain, Scott, slipping past everyone. He accidentally kicked a root,stumbling against a tree.

“Woah,” a deep voice said, catching his elbow and righting him. “You okay there, dude?”

He lifted his head, something that shouldn’t have been as hard as what it was, and met impossibly green eyes.

_ Oh shit. _

“M’fine,” he muttered, about five seconds too late, completely lost in those pretty eyes. Had they always been so bright? “Thanks.”

He tried to pull away, but Theo’s grip tightened.

“Come sit down,” Theo suggested, his voice gentle. “I’ll get you some water.”

How was Liam meant to say no to him when he spoke like that? His chest tightened slightly, his anxiety ramping up, but wasn’t this exactly why he’d let Garrett ply him with alcohol? So he could get a bit of liquid courage to speak to Theo. Well here he was, speaking to Theo.

“Um, yeah,” he agreed. “Sure, thanks.”

Theo led him away from the crowd slightly to a fallen over log, watching him with sharp eyes as he settled against it, already missing the warmth of Theo’s hand on his arm. God, he was so pathetically gone on this dude.

“I’ll be right back,” Theo promised.

“Not going anywhere,” Liam assured him with a flick of his hand. 

Theo nods and disappears back into the fold, and Liam leans his head back against the log, ignoring the crowd to look up at the canopy of the trees. 

It was really pretty outside, and a reasonably mild night, considering. It had been far too warm near the bonfire (which he still thought was fucking stupid in the middle of a heatwave, and almost definitely illegal) but a little further out there was a light wind, and it cooled the hair sticking to the side of his neck. He sighed, letting his eyes fall closed as he basked in it.

“Oh shit,” he heard. “Dude, no, don’t fall asleep.”

He opened his eyes again, finding Theo leaning over him, his face distressingly, distractingly, close to his own, his hand back on him as he gently shook his shoulder. 

“I’m not asleep,” he reassured him. “It’s just cooler out here. Didn’t realise how warm I was until I sat down and felt the breeze.”

“Oh,” Theo said, huffing out a laugh. “Okay good. Sorry I freaked out.”

Liam could feel his breath on his face, and it was making his fingers ache a little bit. The sun had long gone down, and the fire was behind Theo, leaving his face shadowed, but even so, Liam could make out the shape of his smile, a deep longing welling up in his chest. He’d give anything to lean up just slightly and taste it.

For a second, he contemplated actually doing it. Theo was just staring at him, too close, his hand warm where it gripped Liam’s shoulder. It would be so easy.

But Theo clearly thought he was smashed, and was just trying to look out for him. It was only wishful thinking that had Liam thinking it might be more. He shoved down the little bubble of hope, almost choking on it, and dropped his gaze.

“It’s all good,” he told him. “I get it.”

“Here,” Theo said, his voice sounding even deeper all of a sudden. “Drink this.”

He landed Liam the bottle of water he’d procured, and moved away, settling in beside him.

Theo nodded at Liam’s whispered thanks, and Liam watched him from the corner of his eyes as he twisted off the lid and drank. He could see his face a bit more clearly now, some of the flickering light from the distant fire illuminating it. 

He was beyond breathtaking, and so far out of Liam’s league that it was laughable. And yet, here he sat, right beside him, his face carefully blank as he studied their peers. As always when he watched Theo, Liam was struck by how set apart he was. Even when he was surrounded by a large crowd, some part of him always seemed to be hanging back, solitary. Empty.

Like him.


	3. Chapter 3

Liam wasn’t sure if the silence was awkward or not. He lived in his own head so much that it was sort of hard to tell, but he thought Theo seemed tense.

“You don’t have to babysit me, you know,” he said, offering him an easy out, silently cursing himself for the self-sabotage.

Theo startled, looking at him. “What?”

“You can rejoin the fun,” Liam said with a dismissive shrug. “I’ll be fine.”

Theo blinked a few times, looking confused at first, before his face scrunched up and he sighed, looking back towards the party.

“Nah, I’m good,” he said quietly. “I actually prefer this.”

Theo flushed, gaze darting at him and away. Liam’s pulse quickened.What the hell did that even  _ mean _ ?

“You do?”

“Yeah,” he admitted. “This is… nice. Quiet.”

“Yeah,” Liam echoed, brow furrowed as he studied Theo’s face, as if he was trying to peel back the layers and see into his brain, figure him out. “I guess it is.” 

They fell into silence again, both turning back to watch the drunken revel unfolding before them. Girls and guys drinking, making out, dancing, chatting, goofing around. Just… having fun. Being young and stupid. While they both sat on the fringes, silently soaking it in.

Was it weird that he was enjoying himself more sitting beside Theo, neither of them saying a single word, than he ever would have been on the other side? 

Probably, but he embraced it nonetheless.

“You want to get out of here?” Theo asked abruptly, shocking Liam out of his trance.

He blinked a few times, searching Theo’s face.

“Sure,” he said, watching as Theo stood and staring at the hand he held in front of his face. He took it, marvelling again at how warm he was, and then he was being pulled up to his feet. For a moment, the longest, most miraculous moment, they stood in front of each other, close enough that Liam could feel the heat emanating from his skin, hands still clutched together, silently regarding each other. And then the moment was gone, Theo ducking his face and glancing away, dropping his hand as he stepped back half an inch. Liam felt the ache of loss like a phantom limb, shivering at the loss of heat.

Theo led him around the edge of the party, a ghost between the trees, like Orpheus leading Eurydice from the underworld.

Liam prayed for him to turn away, longing to have those glittering, mysterious eyes back on him, but equally he prayed for Theo to keep walking forwards, to keep leading him away from the group. He was equal parts exhilarated and terrified for what might come afterwards.

But he didn’t turn around, didn’t check to see if Liam was following, just trusting that he was.

They stopped in front of a large blue truck, and Theo finally turned to face him. 

“You’re driving?” Liam asked, brow furrowing.

“I haven’t drunk anything,” Theo promised him. “I don’t really like parties, or alcohol.”

“Why did you come then?” Liam asked, curious.

Theo’s cheeks went pink, and he dropped his gaze, scuffing a shoe into the dirt. “Thought it would be fun,” he said.

“Sure,” Liam said, laying the scepticism on thick. “A bonfire in the middle of a heatwave. What a riot.”

Theo laughed, looking back at him with an amused smile. “Yeah well, the lacrosse guys aren’t exactly known for their brains.”

Liam arched an eyebrow at him. “You know the whole reason they invited me was to try and get me on their team, right?”

Theo smirked. “My point stands.”

“Jerk,” Liam said with a scowl, hitting his arm, but Theo just laughed and danced out of the way. 

He liked the way he looked when he laughed, and found himself watching him, until Theo realised and flushed, biting at his lip. Silence fell once more, and Liam desperately searched his mind for something to say.

“So, where do you wanna go?” he asked.

Theo frowned, shoving his hands into the pockets of the dark jacket he was wearing. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I was just gonna drive around. I didn’t really have a destination in mind.”

Liam nodded, chewing at his lip. He had somewhere they could go. It wasn’t as late as he would normally head out there, but late enough that there shouldn’t be anyone else around.

“I think I know a place,” he said casually. “You drive, I’ll direct you.”

Theo studied his face and then fished out his keys, twirling them around his fingers.

“Alright,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

***

Everything that Liam liked about Theo was amplified in the small cab of the truck. The only sound was the low hum of the radio in the background, and Liam basked in it. 

He was aware of every deep breath Theo took as he drove, the way his hands curled and uncurled around the wheel, the way the muscles in his forearms pulled whenever he turned a corner, following Liam’s muttered directions.

It was fascinating, being this close to him, breathing the same air, witnessing the way he perceived the world unfolding before them as the truck rumbled over the silent streets.

Liam knew that Theo was out of his league, that Liam was empty and had nothing to offer him, but it didn’t make him want him any less, didn’t make the longing to ease the tense line of his jaw with gentle touches any weaker, didn’t make the pull of his lips any less magnetic. 

And although Theo was driving, his eyes often found Liam’s, flashes of green illuminated by the passing street lights. Liam had never felt more seen. Never felt more aware of someone’s eyes like a sizzle on his skin, marking him, changing him, making him anew.

It made something in his chest settle, made him lean back into his seat and just turn his head to watch Theo, to cup his hands around the tiny flame of hope and feel it flicker with every quick glance and shy smile.

He knew he was getting too caught up in this, that the rush of alcohol in his bloodstream was enabling him, that Theo Raeken was far too good for him, but he couldn’t stop wanting him anyway. And hell, if Theo wanted him back, even if just for a night, Liam was far too weak to say no to him.

Theo turned around the final bend and came to a stop, eyes sweeping the empty streets, looking confused.

“Here?” he asked.

Liam nodded, a smile quirking at one corner of his lips. “Here,” he confirmed. “Come on.”

Theo parked, and they both got out. Liam surveyed the empty houses, heading to his usual one. It had a large fence surrounding it now and he eyed it with contempt. As if a little fence was ever going to stop him.

“I’ll lift you up,” Theo offered, cupping his hands together.

Liam frowned at him. “Then how will you get over?”

This elicited a roll of his eyes. “I’m strong, Liam. I can lift myself over.”

Liam, who’d seen the glorious muscles currently covered by Theo’s jacket, could certainly attest to that.

“Alright then,” he agreed, and he stepped up onto Theo’s hands, feeling how steady he was as he helped to vault Liam up and over them without any sign of difficulty. It was hot, and Liam dropped down to the other side, turning to stare at Theo, lips curled up invitingly.

“Come on, Raeken,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. “Show me what you’ve got.”

Theo laughed under his breath, pushing his sleeves back slightly and gripping the top of the fence, using just the muscles of his arms and back to heave himself up. Liam’s mouth ran dry, and he stared, slack-jawed, as Theo easily sprung over the top, landing with a solid thud in front of him. Theo smirked, patting his cheek with one hand before brushing past him. Liam turned and followed him with his eyes, pants feeling a bit tight.

Theo was dangerous in all the right ways, and it was definitely getting to him.

“So, what is this place?” Theo asked, moving along the side of the house.

“Housing development,” Liam told him. “The builders are moving at a snail’s pace, but one of the first things they put in every yard-”

“The pool.” Theo finished his sentence, pausing at the edge of the pool and observing the obvious tracks that Liam’s skateboard had left behind from night after night of skating in it. “You skate?”

“Yeah,” Liam said.

“Any good?”

He shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of his skinny jeans. “I go okay,” he said, biting back a smile.

Theo was quiet for a moment, and then he chuckled. “I bet.”

He hopped down to sit on the ledge, and Liam flopped beside him, kicking his heels against the edge. 

“I come out here really late at night,” he said after the silence had stretched on too long. “When I can’t sleep, I just skate until I get hurt or fall in a heap.”

Theo frowned. “Is that why you had a bandage on your arm this week?” he asked. 

Liam nodded. “Yeah, stacked it and grazed my arm. It’s fine now though, all scabbed over.”

“You should be more careful,” Theo said, looking tense. “What would happen if you got properly hurt, like if you broke your leg or something? You wouldn’t be able to get up.”

Liam considered this. “I guess I’d have to call my parents to come get me,” he said with a sigh. “Which would suck, because they hate that I sneak out here.”

They fell into silence again, but from the corner of his eye, he could tell that Theo was wrestling with something.

“Spit it out,” he said. “You won’t offend me.”

“Did you really trash your coach’s car at Devenford?” Theo asked. 

Liam tensed. Of all things he’d expected Theo to ask, it wasn’t that. But of course those rumours had followed him to Beacon. He’d been one of their star players, and Beacon Hills was a pretty small town, all things considered. People talked.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “It was dumb. I lost it. To be honest, I don’t even remember doing it.”

“Really?” Theo asked, gaping at him.

“Yeah, like I know I did it. My dad paid for the damage, I got expelled. It was caught on the security cameras. They even showed me the footage.” He shuddered. “It was bad.”

Theo considered this for a moment, turning away. Liam felt scraped raw, vulnerable. No one had ever really asked for his side of the story. He’d been damned, as far as they’d been concerned. The thought of Theo writing him off too made his chest ache, and he curled his hands into fists at his sides, anxiety crawling over his skin like fire ants.

“So, why did you do it?” Theo asked.

Liam glanced at him, surprised. Theo didn’t look disgusted, or angry. He just looked confused.

“Have you heard of IED?” he asked him. Theo shook his head. “Intermittent Explosive Disorder. I wasn’t diagnosed until after that happened. After my dad dumped me at my mum’s, she made me go see this specialist.”

“That’s intense,” Theo said. He looked concerned, but Liam still couldn’t bring himself to look at him. “Did they like, give you something to treat it?”

“Risperdal,” he said. “It’s an antipsychotic. They’re still trying to figure out the dosage, which is why I can’t sleep. It’s meant to make me tired, and it does, but my brain still won’t switch off and let me fall asleep.”

“I get that,” Theo said after a moment. “I struggle with sleep, too.”

Liam was relieved that the topic was moving away from him. “Oh yeah, what keeps you up at night, Raeken?”

Theo shrugged. “A lot of things.” It was a bullshit answer, and considering how open Liam had just been, it stung. Theo must have noticed the way Liam’s face fell, because he took his hand, interlinking their fingers.

“Thanks for telling me all that,” he said, his voice sincere. “I know how hard it is to open up.”

“Yeah,” Liam said, voice croaky. “No problem.”

Theo was holding his hand.  _ Theo  _ was holding his hand. Theo was holding  _ his _ hand.

Their eyes connected, held. Liam swallowed past the lump in his throat, a shiver running up his spine as he melted into those green pools.

Theo smiled, and Liam helplessly mirrored him, stunned as Theo ducked in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. His breath left his chest in a whoosh, blood roaring in his ears as he tentatively returned the kiss, feeling the miraculous slide of Theo’s lips on his own.

The little flame roared into an inferno, and Liam’s other hand came up to cup Theo’s cheek, the soft kiss turning a little hungry and a lot desperate, the two of them kissing like it was more necessary than breathing. And fuck, but it was. 

“Hey!” A loud shout had them breaking apart, a flashlight shining on them from the other side of the house. “You kids shouldn’t be in there!”

“Shit,” Liam hissed. “Security.”

He leaped up to his feet, half dragging Theo with him. And they ran, hand in hand, giggling like little kids as they bolted to the fence, helping each other up and over and then racing back to Theo’s truck. Liam glanced back over his shoulder, and the guard was well behind them, calling after them.

“Quick!” Liam whispered as Theo fumbled to unlock his truck. He managed it, and they both jumped in, Theo bringing the truck to life and reversing, his arm around the back of Liam’s chair. Again, Liam watched him, even more entranced now than before. He knew what Theo’s lips tasted like, knew the way he sighed into a kiss, knew the way his eyes looked when they were lidded and dark with desire.

And Liam was full with emotion, a roiling tangle of them, each competing for attention like dogs at the feet of their master, making him feel exhilarated and nauseous and alive in a way that he could never remember feeling before.

All he knew was that he wanted to do it again.


	4. Chapter 4

They pulled up in front of Liam’s house far sooner than he would have liked. He wasn’t ready for the night to be over, even though it was coming up pretty close on his curfew.

“You want to come in?” he asked Theo, turning puppy eyes on him.

“I don’t know,” Theo said, biting at his lip.

“Just for a bit?” Liam asked, reaching over and taking Theo’s hand from where it was resting on the gear shift. He rubbed his thumb over the back of his hand, looking up at Theo through lidded eyes.

Theo stared at him, licking at his lips. Liam watched the movement, hunger stirring in his belly. 

“You’re real cute,” Theo said, his voice deep, husky in a way that shivered right up Liam’s spine. “And you know it, don’t you?”

“Am I?” Liam asked, smirking back at him and leaning in slightly.

Theo cursed under his breath and reached for him, tangling his other hand in his hair and holding him still for a kiss that made Liam’s toes curl, his mouth opening to Theo’s tongue. It was hot and messy and passionate, and Liam was dazed by the time it ended, staring up at Theo as he panted for breath.

It was Theo’s turn to smirk, and he turned off the ignition, climbing out of his truck and moving around to open Liam’s door.

“You alright there, Liam?” he asked.

He scrambled out of the seat and Theo caught him by the elbow as he immediately stumbled, laughing at his eagerness. Liam pouted at him, and Theo pressed a soft kiss to his lips, making it melt away.

He was quickly becoming addicted to the feel of Theo’s lips on his own and he was eager to sneak him back into his room to continue memorising the feeling.

“Come on,” Theo whispered.

Liam let Theo pull him towards the house, his eyes glued to the side of his face, marvelling at how the hell someone this pretty was willing to kiss him.

They paused in front of the door, and Liam went to open it. Theo stopped him, grabbing his hand and tugging him closer.

“I can’t come in,” he said, and Liam could hear the regretful tone in his voice. 

“Why not?” Liam asked.

He studied Theo as the other boy looked down and away. The front porch light was on, so he could see as Theo folded his feelings away, one by one, until all he had on was a careful mask. The empty look was back in his eyes, and it  _ hurt _ to see it right in front of him after having seen how alive he could be.

“Goodnight, Liam,” he said, offering him a tight smile and turning to go.

Liam snagged his wrist before he could go too far, but whatever he was about to say was interrupted by the front door opening.

“Oh, I thought I heard voices,” his mum said, sounding relieved. “Liam, Mason called and said you left the party without telling him. We were worried.”

He turned to his mum and offered a shaky smile, still not letting go of Theo.

“Sorry to worry you,” he said. “I was with Theo.”

Giving a sharp tug, he pulled Theo back to his side. “Theo, this is my mother, Jenna.”

“Lovely to meet you, Theo,” she said, eyes twinkling as she looked at him.

“You too, Mrs Dunbar,” Theo said, all charm and smiles. Liam side-eyed him, frowning. 

“Oh um, it’s actually Mrs Geyer,” she said, her cheeks turning pink.

Contrastingly, he watched the colour drain from Theo’s face. “Geyer?”

“Is that Liam?” his stepdad called from inside the house.

“It is,” his mum called back, “and he’s brought a friend.”

Theo tried to pull away, but Liam, confused, refused to let him go. His stepdad, David, came out to stand beside his mum, wrapping an arm around her waist. David looked at Theo, his surprise evident, eyes widening in recognition.

“Theo?”

“Doctor Geyer,” Theo said reluctantly, the charm vanishing all of a sudden. He looked uncomfortable, and Liam had no idea what was going on.

“You know each other?” he asked, looking between the two of them.

Theo gave a tight nod, every inch of his body tense. He looked like he wanted to run away, and Liam was loath to let him go, wanting to understand what had just happened.

But he couldn’t force it from him. Theo had evaded his questions earlier, when it had been just them and a starry lilac sky above them. He sincerely doubted he would open up to him in front of his parents.

“I’ll be in soon,” he said to his mum, offering her a small, sad smile.

His parents said their goodbyes to Theo and went back inside, closing the door. Theo sighed, turning back to him, the misery on his face making Liam want to hold him.

So he didn’t question it. He pulled Theo into a hug, wrapping around him tight and feeling as Theo relaxed into it by slow increments. He closed his eyes as Theo returned the hug, the two of them breathing each other in for a few moments.

“Thanks for bringing me home,” he said quietly, pulling away.

“You’re welcome,” Theo said. “I’ll see you at school, I guess.”

It felt like a goodbye, and he couldn’t help the way his expression crumbled, lower lip wobbling. Theo sighed and kissed his cheek, the hand that had migrated to the back of his neck squeezing tightly once before he stepped back.

“Bye,” Liam whispered.

And he watched Theo walk away, standing there long after his truck had disappeared.

***

Monday rolled around, and Liam hadn’t heard from Theo at all. His stepdad had gently told him that he’d keep Theo’s confidence, but that in itself told him plenty.  _ Doctor _ Geyer, he’d called him. Whatever Theo’s secret was, it had something to do with that.

He stood in front of his locker, feeling tired down to his bones as he tried to remember what classes he had that morning. 

Mason nudged him. “History, then English,” he said, his voice sympathetic.

He knew the whole story, of course. Liam hadn’t kept it from him. He owed it to him after flaking on him at the party and not telling him he was leaving. When he’d turned his phone on after Theo had left, there’d been a multitude of missed calls and texts, and Mason had apologised for calling his parents, but Liam had understood. He probably would have done the same thing in Mason’s place.

It still made him feel guilty, leaving like that without telling him. Once again, he kicked himself for being such a shitty friend.

“Thanks,” he said, grabbing out the necessary books and shoving them into his bag. “You have AP Physics, right?”

Mason had tried to get Liam to pick it up, but Liam had been glad to see the back of it when he’d left Devenford. His dad had made him sign up for all the AP classes, and while he’d kept a few of them, it was a relief to let some of the burden go. He wanted to do more than just play lacrosse and study every single day.

Like skating. And kissing cute boys.

Which just brought him back to his thoughts about Theo.  _ Great. _

“Yep,” Mason said.

“Corey’s in those classes, right?” Liam teased, closing his locker and falling into step next to Mason.

Mason bit at his lip to hide his smile. The main reason that it had taken Mason so long to realise Liam was missing was because he’d been too busy chatting to Corey. It was cute, how much Mason was into him. They’d been texting all weekend, and Mason was already disgustingly infatuated with him, eyes lighting up every time he spoke about him.

It was nice to see his friend so happy, even when he was consumed with jealousy. He didn’t even have Theo’s number.

“Speak of the devil,” Liam murmured, nudging Mason with his elbow and indicating the far end of the hallway where Corey was pulling his books out of his locker. Mason grinned, muttered a goodbye to Liam and practically skipped over to the other boy, accepting a kiss to the cheek from him.

Liam smiled wryly and shook his head. Young love. Gross.

He continued past them and went into the classroom, falling into his usual seat, heart hammering in his chest as he watched the door and tried not to be too obvious about it. He didn’t have every class with Theo, but he had enough of them, and AP History was shared.

Would the other boy wave? Would he ignore him? Would he smile?

God, it was  _ agony _ waiting to find out if Theo was going to acknowledge him or not.

Finally though, he did walk in. And he looked different. 

His hair, normally styled back with some kind of gel, hung soft around his face. Liam hadn’t realised how long it actually was. His fingers tingled with the urge to touch it.

Normally, Theo wore either of his football hoodie or jacket to school, but today it was a marled red and white hoodie under a black denim jacket. It was a good look on him, making him look softer, somehow.

He avoided everyone’s gaze, walking to the back of the room and sitting beside Liam.

“What are you doing?” Liam hissed under his breath.

Theo glanced at him, already pulling his things out of his bag. “Sitting with you.”

Of all the things that Liam had imagined happening, this wasn’t one of them. He was floored.

“Oh,” he whispered.

“Is that okay?” Theo asked, looking worried.

“It is,” Liam immediately reassured him. “I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

Theo looked resigned. “Because I ran out on you the other night.”

Liam nodded, biting at his lip. Again, he didn’t want to force Theo to talk to him, but if they were going to do… whatever this was, then he’d appreciate a bit more honesty.

Theo glanced around the room. It was full now, and the teacher was setting up her things at the front of the room. 

“Can we meet up after school?” Theo asked hesitantly.

“Sure,” Liam agreed, settling into his seat. He could wait that long, definitely.

***

The day dragged on, but Theo sat next to him in the few classes they shared, and Liam found he was enjoying it. From two rows behind, there’d been things he hadn’t noticed. Like the fact that Theo doodled in the margins of all of his books; all elaborate whirls and patterns. Liam watched him, utterly fascinated, amazed by the way that teachers would call on Theo and he’d have the correct answer ready, despite looking like he wasn’t hearing a single word.

When he questioned him, he just muttered that drawing while the teacher was speaking helped him to focus because it made his mind quiet. It was such a simple thing, but it only made Liam hungry for more knowledge. Not for whatever their teacher was prattling on about, but on Theo and the way his mind worked, which was a far more fascinating subject.

They didn’t share many classes, but on further questioning during their lunch period, he found out that he didn’t really like History, but adored Biology, which boggled Liam’s mind. He couldn’t believe that anyone would want to take it, although the way that Theo talked about Marine Biology certainly did make it sound interesting.

He was talented in Calculus but found it dull, and enjoyed the discussions in English Lit, but also disliked writing essays. 

Like many other seniors, he was taking Finstock’s Economics class as a bludge lesson, and found the lacrosse coach as terrifying as the rest of them did. The man hadn’t spoken to Liam, but every now and again he felt his eyes on him, and each time he gave Liam a terrifying shark-like grin. It was more than a little concerning.

His final class was masqueraded as Phys Ed, but Theo admitted that it was more like an extra training session with the football coach, who had them running drills out on the field or doing weights. 

It was a much harder course load than Liam’s own (Algebra 2, History, English Lit, Economics, Phys Ed, Health and a music class where he was learning to play the guitar) but it made sense when Theo explained he was applying for as many colleges as he could in the hopes of getting far from Beacon Hills.

He didn’t explain why, but the shuttered look in his eyes told Liam that it had something to do with whatever Theo had been holding back.

But finally, the day did end, and he sat with Theo out by the stands next to the football oval where some of Theo’s teammates were starting to get warmed up for their later training, tossing a football around.

Liam watched them while Theo gathered his courage trying to pretend like he wasn’t dying of curiousity.

Theo drew in a shaky breath, his hands digging into his thighs. “Three and a half years ago,” he began, looking pale and terrified, “my parents and my sister died in a car crash.”

Liam felt his stomach sink right down to his boots, his eyes immediately welling up with tears. “Theo,” he breathed. “Oh my god, I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”

Theo shook his head, looking down at the ground, clearly struggling. Liam wanted to put his arm around him, but refrained. He didn’t think that Theo would appreciate it right now.

“I was in the car too,” Theo whispered. “I uhm, I was injured.”

“Oh,” Liam said. That explained why his stepdad knew him, then. He worked in Emergencies often, so he had probably been the one who treated him, especially if he’d needed surgery. “Is it okay now?”

Theo nodded. “I had a broken collarbone, a few fractured ribs and a concussion,” he explained. “The car rolled down an incline and into a river. We were stuck.”

“God,” Liam whispered, feeling nauseous and scared. 

“My sister-” Theo broke off, scrubbing at his eyes with the heels of his hands and holding them there for a few moments. “I’m only here,” he whispered, “because she saved me. She managed to get my seatbelt undone, and I got out.”

_ And she didn’t. _ Theo didn’t say it, but he didn’t need to. His misery and shame was obvious in the defeated slump of his shoulders.

Liam couldn’t help it then. He needed to touch him. “Can I hug you?” he asked, his eyes wide, pleading.

“Yes,” Theo croaked, and he fell into Liam’s embrace, sniffling into his neck. 

All this time, and he’d had no idea that Theo was carrying this grief and shame around with him. So many things made sense now. The way Theo held himself back. The way his eyes looked distant sometimes, empty. 

He was still charming and friendly and intelligent, but he was also lost and scared and alone, and Liam could relate to that.

So he held on tight, waiting until Theo was calm before letting go and pulling away enough so that he could see his face.

“What happened after?” he asked gently. 

“Surgeries,” Theo said with a shrug, rubbing his damp cheeks with his sleeve. His face was splotchy from crying, but Liam still thought he looked beautiful. “Foster homes and moving from family to family. None of them gave a shit about me, so I skipped out on the most recent one, found a basement rental from this guy who takes cash and doesn’t bother me as long as I pay on time.”

“Is that safe?” Liam asked, brow furrowing.

“It’s worked so far,” Theo said with a tired smile. “And sure, working two after school jobs to afford it sucks, especially with trying to fit in AP classes and football, but I make it work.”

“But how hasn’t anyone realised that you’re on your own?” Liam asked. “Doesn’t social services check up on you?”

Theo’s mouth twisted into a scowl. “I made an arrangement with my foster dad. He still gets the check from social services and he gives me a heads up when they’re doing a visit. I rock up, play happy families, leave again the second they’re around the block.”

It made Liam’s chest hurt to think that someone who was meant to be caring for Theo, loving him, helping him, was instead using him for a cheque he didn’t deserve.

“What an asshole,” he snapped.

Theo looked surprised for a moment, and then shook his head with a wry smile. “It works for me, Liam. Besides, I’m eighteen in a few months. I can look after myself.”

_ You shouldn’t have to, _ Liam thought sadly.  _ You should have people that love you. _

He took Theo’s hand, waiting for the other boy to look up at him before speaking. “I know you can,” he said quietly, “but you’re not alone, okay? You have me.”

Theo licked his lips nervously. “I do?”

Liam smiled at him, squeezing his hand. “Yeah,” he said, his own nerves eating at his chest. But he needed to say this, because learning this Theo, the real Theo, had only made him seem even more perfect in Liam’s eyes. Theo wasn’t some distant fantasy. He was real, solid, and flawed, just like him. And Liam wanted to be with him. To at least try. “I like you, Theo. And I’d really, really like to kiss you again.”

Theo’s smile was slow, growing on his face as his eyes searched his face. And it was insane, because Theo was looking at him like  _ he _ was the miracle.

“I’d like that,” Theo said, giving him a shy smile that melted Liam’s insides. “I’d like that a lot.”

And Liam ducked his head in, tasting his lips and sighing into it, Theo’s warmth seeping into him and spreading.

It was perfect.

And Liam knew that this was only the beginning.


End file.
